Ivy Court Inn and Suites

Midwest Living Review

Kendra L. Williams

You'll find great value in this newly renovated property on the University of Notre Dame campus. You can't beat the location, the room or the service for the price.

We're not sure if the front desk staff members are current Notre Dame students or recent graduates, but they are young and well-trained in hospitality. We rolled in at almost 11 p.m., and the front desk clerk was friendly, professional, made eye contact, pointed us toward coffee and cookies and explained that the renovations are continuing. The buildings have fresh-painted green siding and cream trim. The lobby (and the rooms) have big black-and-white photos from the Notre Dame campus, transferred to artists' canvases. The lobby is small but has a computer and printer for public use. Our room was spacious and well appointed. The king bed had white, navy and taupe linens (rocking the ND colors!) and plenty of pillows, plus a settee at the foot of the bed for luggage. The room had dark wood end tables with brushed nickel knobs on the drawers. While the lamp bases were old--from the '70s, maybe?--they appeared to have been refurbished, and the lamp shades were oval and new. The room also had a long dresser, also dark wood with the square knobs, and a big flat-screen TV sat on top of it. The kitchenette area has granite counters, a mini fridge, a microwave and coffee maker, plus a sink with glasses and coffee cups. The room also had a full-size desk for working, with an ergonomic desk chair, and the room comes with free wi-fi (no problems logging on). The updated bathroom, done in all-white ceramic tiles, had a sink and closet-area with a full-size ironing board separated from the water closet and tub/shower. An Archive body bar made with shea butter and scented with green tea and willow was a nice touch in the bath.One down side: We could hear our neighbors moving around a bit, but given how late we checked in and how early we checked out, this wasn't an issue for us. A colleague who checked in earlier in the day said she could hear the people on the floor above her walking around, though.Breakfast in the morning was the standard array of cereals, breads, bagels, fruit, yogurt, plus a hot breakfast bar with eggs, bacon, biscuits and a make-your-own waffle station, all included in the price of your room. A server walked around quite a bit while we were there to keep food filled, tables clean and coffee cups refilled. Overall, for the $89 rate we paid that night, the hotel was a tremendous value.